Senioritis (Love Letter to OCSA)

Elise Park

Dear OCSA,

I still remember the first day I met you. It was a chilly night in March eight years ago when I stepped foot into Symphony Hall. You were intimidating. A bit clunky, a bit eccentric. I was confused by the bright orange stripes that spanned the Tower, the random totem pole that stretched to the clouds and the clashing architecture all over campus. But in some sort of way, I was intrigued.

I admit, there are some days I can hardly bring myself to school. The long morning commute feels more like a slow trudge to work. The seven flights of stairs feels more like a cardio exercise I never have the energy to do. The evenings spent poring over physics labs or essays analyzing the green light feels more like hours spent toiling away at chores. But over the years, I have truly come to appreciate the small things that make you, well, you.

As much as I try to convince myself that I am ready to leave in three months, I am not. I dread the day the tassels will move from right to left, and everyone will move on. It’s hard to believe that after all the years spent here, there will be a time when you are nothing more than a sweet memory. No more warm chocolate cookies before conservatory, no more stressing over good hair for yearbook photos and no more shouts of “OCSA sports!” when something successfully lands in the trash can. The sights of the blaring red DMS gates or the sparkly Webb bathrooms will slowly slip away. The words “Breezeway” and “10th Street” will sound like foreign places, and eventually, I will forget how to navigate the strange room numbers in the Annex or the small shortcuts that avoid school traffic.

In short, OCSA, I will miss you. I will miss the senior wall and the warm afternoons eating with my friends. I will miss those late nights spent at school, filming parodies of “The Hunger Games” or capturing highlights of music recitals. I will miss seeing my classmates’ bright faces under the spotlight. I will miss the festivities—dressing up for OCSA Halloweens, watching live band performances during lunch and throwing away my yearly savings for Winter Market. I will miss being part of a conservatory and eating Pocky on film sets. I will miss sneaking in naps during block seven and playing 2048 Cupcakes in class. I will miss the walks to the Webb, I will miss the Kahoots in math and I will miss the faces that I see every day.

Thank you, OCSA, for everything. For the laughter during lunch, for the tears over tests, for preparing me for a world that stretches beyond Main Street and Sycamore.

I will never forget you!

Love,

Elise